Commit This To Memory
by Piezo
Summary: Chapter 6: Familiar faces return as Aang gains further insight on the fairer sex...not really...
1. Chapter 1

A:TLA doesn't belong to me. Don't sue, I'm poor.

Commit This to Memory: Chapter 1: Promotion

The wine sloshed around lazily in the glass, as its owner studied the liquid. He didn't seem to stare; rather the drink seemed to be in the line of his gaze, as he sat at the far side of the bar. Silently, He would draft the wine, never with the sort of hurriedness the grain farmers celebrating a bigger-than-expected harvest noisily demonstrated in a corner of the tavern, but with the bland air of routine of a solitary drinker who's lost the appeal of his habit. Pulling up his cloak, he shrouded his features as he drained the glass and placed it back on the counter. Leaving his money on the table, he rose and made his way out of the bar, past the drunk, chorusing farmers. Sauntering down the main road in town, He continued until he was well into the neighboring, freshly reaped wheat fields.

Arriving at a moderately large storehouse, he knocked on the wooden door, tapping out four quick hits. The door opened, and he quickly entered. Making his way to a ladder, he removed his cloak in the semi-darkness, as he clumsily collapsed into a pile of hay.

"You shouldn't drink so much." a voice softly chided.

Sighing, he stared at the ceiling, as his vision improved. He was expecting nothing less.

"How is everyone?" He asked; His voice thick from his liquid supper.

"Ready to move at anytime…" The voice seemed to trail off, as if there was something left to say.

"That's good. Let's leave in the morning then."

"Yes, Comman- -"The voice abruptly ended, and he chuckled softly.

"You're too uptight." He stated; his smirk evident in his even tone.

Before he could continue, the relative quiet was pre-empted by the sounds of heavy footfalls ending at the entrance of the storehouse. The storehouse door opened tentatively; then swung open. The sudden noise startled the group of Ostrich-horses quietly milling in their stalls. A rather large man in a makeshift mask of old robes inspected the building quickly.

"Aha. Exactly what we need…" He called over his shoulder.

Three other men, with matching masks quickly entered and began to release the Ostrich –horses.

At that moment groans and sounds of bodies hitting the hard-packed dirt floor of the storehouse filled the air. Grasping the meaning of those sounds, the man that opened the door fearfully backed away from the darkness of the stable, looking in all directions.

"Wha? What's happening? What's wrong?" He said in alarm as he edged closer to the doorway.

His concern was short-lived; as a dull thud followed by his body slumping to the floor ended his questioning.

"What should we do with them, Commander?"

Looking down at the thief as he leant against the door frame, he looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Don't call me Commander…"

* * *

At dawn, the town was abuzz, as a group of known bandits were mysteriously apprehended and left at the guard station. Sokka was, however, already on-route to the next town. Riding in the point position, he wore his traditional blue clothing with a more unremarkable traveler's cloak. He was flanked by several female warriors wearing war paint, and clad in identical green armor. Letting the crisp morning air fully awaken him, he took a deep breath, savoring the smell of sage and evergreens. A warrior picked up her pace to join him at the front of the group. Looking a bit timid, she seemed to struggle for words. He noticed this and decided to spare her the effort.

"So… Would you like to hear the rest of the story?" He offered.

The young warrior nodded enthusiastically. He smiled.

"Well, eight years ago…" He started. "…The Avatar was to defeat Fire Lord Ozai…"

A couple riders moved closer, as he recalled the events that lead to the suppression of the Fire Nation's aggressiveness and the battles that resulted in the coup that put the current Fire Lord into power. In great detail, he told the warriors of the infiltration of the Fire Nation, the dispensing of the Royal Navy and Princess Azula, and finally the decisive duel Between the Avatar and Lord Ozai. Listening with wide eyes, the young warriors eagerly took in every word.

"…And that's when it was decided to train and mobilize peacekeeping squads like ours." He finished, now commanding the attention of the entire group. He waited for the thrills to subside before the questions would arise…

"What was Ba Sing Se like?" "Forget that! What was the Fire Nation like?" "What about the Avatar? Is it true he's an Airbender?" "Yeah! What about him?" They asked; their questions like a volley of arrows he couldn't avoid.

"How's this? Big, hot, bald, and yes." He said smiling warmly, enjoying joking around with his charges.

"Come on, Commander!" They cried, wanting more tidbits. He laughed at their pouting expressions.

"Hey now, Ladies! If we keep this pace up, we should be home by nightfall!" He said, knowing the young warriors were looking forward to returning to Kyoshi Island.

As they chatted excitedly about what they would do once back home, he let his thoughts drift to the nine-month training expedition they were on. As it went, he has led worse than these newly graduated warriors. They showed exceptional growth and potential, as they were dispatched to the Si Wong Desert, to mediate a dispute between Merchants and the Sandbenders. He was, however, looking forward to doing nothing in particular once he retuned to Kyoshi Island. Encourage by this he spurred his mount, quickening the pace.

* * *

"So… That's it?

"Yeah. Expecting any less?"

Sitting on the steps of Kyoshi Academy, Sokka watched the village turn out to greet his troops, as the sunset bathed the structure in rays of gold and pink. Leaning on the doorframe, Suki watched with a nostalgic look, as she listened to Sokka's report. After the Battle of Sozen's Comet, she returned to her village a hero, even being installed as an Earth Kingdom General. Using this prestige, she expanded the Academy, to train specialty security soldiers to aid in rebuilding and peace-keeping.

"They'll do well, Suki. Ru Xian especially. She's level-headed, and quick on her feet." He said, peeling an apple, offering her a slice. Taking the piece, she nodded and ate as they quietly stood watching the villagers celebrating the safe return of their daughters. After a barely tolerable silence, Suki descended the stairs, and sat down next to the contemplative Water Tribesman.

"When was the last time you went back?" She asked, not moving her gaze from the villager's party.

"It'll be five years when winter sets in." He said, examining his apple.

"You should go back. The girls will miss you. You're their favorite, you know." She said, smiling.

"No, _you _are." He corrected, stretching, then standing up. "Well, I guess I'll take my leave…" He said, looking down at her.

"It's been a long time, Sokka. You've grown." She said looking at him as though she hasn't seen him in ages.

In truth, He had grown. Now, He was a head taller than Suki. The years of training and traveling had given him a body of an experienced warrior.

"We've all grown… haven't we General." He teases, smirking.

* * *

_- - A week later - - _

The snow was falling silently as Katara stoked the fire in her igloo. She sighed wistfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her head, as she cooked seal meat over the fire. She thought of a time when she would need to cook much more, as her brother could finish this amount in minutes. Lost in thought, the meat stared to emit bilious smoke as it burned.

"Oh, come on! You're wasting perfectly good meat!"

Whirling from the fire, Katara flung herself at her brother, knocking him out of the shelter.

"SOKKA!!! You're here! How _are _you?!?" She said, shocked and nearly crying.

"Oh, you know me… I've been here and there!" He said, scratching the back of his head.

Elation, however, quickly turned to rage, as she tightened her hug into a head-lock.

"You've been gone for five years, you _idiot_! You could have been killed! FIVE WHOLE YEARS!!!" She yelled, slightly enjoying the chocking noises Sokka was making.

"I've…been…busy…ACK!" He got out, between gasping for breath.

* * *

After a thorough beating, and a much-less-violent dinner of slightly charred seal meat, Sokka diverted his sister from more violence by telling her of his travels, the Warriors of Kyoshi and their duties, and the state of the peace they fought for.

"Ahh. I haven't had a meal like that in ages!" He groaned, patting his stomach contentedly.

"Well, that's what you can expect if you simply came back home more often…" she lectured good-naturedly.

"Give me a break, sis. I do what I can. It's not like you're stuck here or anythi--" He trailed off when he saw the look on her face. She turned to the wall, sniffling.

Silence permeated the room, as Katara took a deep breath.

"You're all I've got right now…" She said with renewing tears. Sokka felt the world move.

"Let's not do this now…" He said, with sudden detachment.

"Then _when_?!" She shouted, rounding on him, tears spilling on her cheeks. "When are we going to do this?! When are _you _going to…?!"

She stopped when she met the Sokka's distant gaze.

Sobbing she latched onto his arm and cried.

Without looking at her, he patted her head and suggested she get some rest.

* * *

The next day was less unpredictable emotionally, as Katatra showed him the changes Master Pakku and the other Northern Tribe members helped with. Along with this, several Northern Waterbenders elected to stay and aid with defense and development, while the Tribesman in the war returned and recuperated.

"So that Old Goat went back home, eh?" He said, remembering Pakku.

"He's not an '_Old Goat_'. He's really made some improvements." She said, waving to a family playing with a polar bear cub.

"Like what?" He inquired.

"Well, he's nominated a new chief, for one."

"Who?" He asked, mildly curious She stopped and caught his gaze

"You." She stated firmly.

* * *

AN: Wow. When you get the urge huh? Anyway, I plan on this story being moderately long. (like ten chapters) I don't think they will be much shorter than this one. (But they might be longer…) I really wanted to do a good Sokka saga. There are to be twists and turns in this one, guys. If you must know, yes. There will be pairings. (Am I shooting myself in the foot, I wonder?) Anyway here you go I've planned for: Zutara, Maiko, and some other stuff. But for sure, it will be **Tokka**. That doen't means some different things won't be happening. If you get my drift… Review if you got some time! 


	2. Arrivals and Departures

**A:TLA isn't mine. I'm just borrowing it**

Chapter 2: Arrivals and Departures

Katara sat across from Sokka as he stared at floor, his hand on his chin in thought. She pretended to shift her parka a bit as he rubbed his temple; The sound of children sledding outside controlled the air in the communal igloo. Feeling increasingly awkward, she let her eyes rest on the ceremonial robes of the tribal chief, hanging on the wall; the fire pit illuminating its cobalt and white adornments. Above the robe, hung a large whale-bone halberd, its smooth ivory shinning a ghostly white in the firelight. Standing up, Sokka walked over to the robe, rubbing the fabric between his fingers and sighing.

"You don't have to…" She started, staring at his back.

"…But I'm going to..." He finished, still facing the robe. She looked surprised.

"You've been a great protector during the war… This seems natural." She said, as she stood, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder.

Turing to catch her gaze, he smiled and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Master Pakku _did_ say you were the best candidate for the job." She said, making for the door.

"Why didn't he show me this confidence when we defended the Northern Tribe?" He asked, at her exiting form.

"He thought you would get a big head."

* * *

Several days later, someone spotted a group of whales while checking some fish traps in the eastern part of the Southern ocean. Not being one to waste this opportunity, Sokka was still in bed.

"Chief Sokka!...Chief Sokka!..." A young, hurried voice called as it drew closer and finally parted the doorway flap and scanned the interior of the igloo.

"…Don't call me Chief…" came the grumpy reply as he turned over and drew the cover tighter over his head.

Walking over to the bed, the twelve-year old tribesman looked apprehensive for a moment; then began to vigorously shake the shoulders of the now wide-awake Chief, earning a startled yelp from the mass of quilts and blankets.

"Alright, already! What's up?" He cried, poking his head out of the blankets and eyeing the boy sleepily.

"Well… we've seen a small herd of whale, by the Eastern traps." He reported, a little timidly. Hearing this caused Sokka to sit up and grope for his boots in the semi-darkness of his shelter.

"We should take advantage of this, as it _is_ pretty late in the season to be whaling." He said, more to himself than his young messenger. While looking for his penguin-hide hunting jacket, he paused and looked thoughtful.

"Why _did_ you shake me, like that?"

"Master Katara said if you were sleeping to do that…" He said looking down. Smirking, he grabbed two spears from the far corner of the igloo and handed him one.

"You've been whaling before, right?" The boy looked enthusiastic, but shook his head.

Tightening his outfit, grabbed some rope and a whale-tooth knife from his arsenal.

"You have to remember that the whale will be stronger than it looks…" He started, leading the boy out.

* * *

Paddling out in a large kayak, Sokka and his newfound charge met the other Tribesmen already approaching the group, as their spouts of air can be seen as they breached. Taking in account the number and the size of this group, Sokka quickly chose their target.

"Half of you flank them on the other side; we'll paddle along side them and divide the herd. We're going after that big one, there…" He gestured towards a whale breaching a couple of meters away.

Paddling carefully, three kayaks pulled around so that they were facing Sokka and two others. Turning to his student, he gave him a serious look.

You've had two-man kayak races before, right, just for fun?" He asked in an even tone. The young man nodded gravely. "Well, the same principles apply… I need you keep this righted, even if we're underwater. You understand?"

He nodded again, with a terrified look. Motioning to the others, Sokka's portion of hunting party began to paddle ever closer as they inched silently in the increasing glare on the sun, to their prey.

As the whale began to surface again to breech, Sokka Stood up and readied his spear, checking the knots to see that it remained sturdily tied to the watercraft. Inhaling deeply as the whale exhaled, Sokka pounced on it, spear-first.

Initially, nothing happened.

As the young Chief stood on top of the whale, slightly ankle deep in the water, he further drove his spear in to the flesh of the large animal and unsheathed his knife. Time seemed to slow as the whale suddenly started to dive and swim swiftly.

As the whale disappeared under the waves, the young boy remembered Sokka's instructions, and braced for the shock. The kayak lurched forwards and followed the path of the startled whale as it began to shake its unwanted passenger off. Using the paddle to keep the kayak righted was begins to get tough, as it was steadily submerging. Fighting to keep it above the waves proved futile the boy fearfully realized, as it broke the water's surface. As he fully submerged, he inhaled sharply, screwing his eyes closed as the roar of the ocean filled his ears.

Willing himself to open his eyes, he was present the awe-inspiring scene of The young, Southern Chief clinging to the side of the fleeing whale, knife and spear anchoring him. It was striking; as all that could be heard was the atmospheric warbling of the bubbles, despite the juxtaposition of Sokka stalwart, unyielding attempts with his knife. Wonder gave way to dreadful realization, as a burning sensation in his lungs grew ever increasingly. At that moment, the whale kicked and speedily surfaced, dragging to kayak and it's overwhelmed passenger careening out of the water.

Now, realizing where he was, the young water tribesman took grateful, gulps of air, as he waited for the whale to start to dive again; his grip, white-knuckled on the oar. All of a sudden, three more tribesmen leapt from their boats, driving their spears into the progressively sluggish, whale. Thrashing valiantly and being wounded repeatedly, the whale succumbed due to its injuries and the exhausting fight it put up. Out-breath, and battered from his eventful ride, Sokka grinned at his assistant as they huffed and puffed, their breath rising into vapor in the sun of the mid-morning. As the others secured the catch with ropes, and began to tow it back, the young Chief griped the boy's shoulder in a fatherly fashion, before taking his place and starting to row.

* * *

Sitting in an igloo, made by his sister and the other Waterbenders, The newly designated Chief of the Southern Water Tribe stared out of a ventilation hole in the roof. He watched as the smoke coiled and curled into the clear sky, becoming indistinguishable between the deep blue-black. Excusing himself from the harvesting of the whale, citing fatigue; He thought about the last eight years, as he sipped the last of his wine from his leather pouch. He recounted the disbelief of the masses when news spread that the Fire Nation's ruler was defeated and the subsequent battles against those who still clung to Ozai's ideals. He thought of the last time he'd seen his friends and comrades from the other nations. He knew they were busy, as he was with the aftermath of the war, but he only heard from the Earthbender, Haru; meeting him by chance at a small village, several miles outside of Omashu, during his travels with the Kyoshi Warriors. After the death of King Bumi, the soldiers of Omashu elected his father as ruler. He remembered the somber funeral, as Aang gave an emotional tribute while the city went into mourning. It was a stark difference from the almost overall celebratory sentiment that swept the world after the war.

As he looked around for a stick to stoke the fire, he again pondered the fates of his comrades. Nearly everyone knew of Prince Zuko's advancement to Fire Lord and the end of the naval blockades and occupation of various areas. So Zuko has his hands full. He also heard of the reform within Ba Sing Se, to facilitate more equality for its citizens. It seemed that the world was finally progressing to harmony. With poise suitable for the finest alcoholics, he flung his now-empty wineskin at the far wall, succumbing to a blissfully uneventful sleep.

* * *

The next morning greeted him like a like a slap in the face, as he bleary sat up from his mat, only to flop back down with a hangover. He dimly felt the urge to throw up, but the wave of nausea passed as his entrance flap opened

"You shouldn't drink so much, you know."

A pair of bemused, unfocused eyes peeked out from his bedding.

Turning on his back and holding his head he sighed deeply, again feeling a bit nauseous.

"You sound like someone I know…" He drawls. Belching tactlessly, he whips the quilt away as he sits up.

"Well, I do believe we've met before."

"Well, Master Avatar Aang the Airbender, what can I do ya for?" He stumbles as he scowls drowsily at his friend.

* * *

Awake and sober, Sokka and Aang sat around his cooking fire, as he prepared whale steaks for breakfast.

"You still a vegetarian?" He asks, eyeing the frying meat as he flips it.

"Yep."

"How are things?" The sizzling increases.

"Good… and getting better…" He produces some dried fruit from his rucksack and offers some to Momo.

"I hear that Zuko's doing a bang up job over there." He says, smiling at the finished meat.

"He is. But this concerns you." He says, capturing his attention, His ash-grey eyes flashing good-humoredly.

"… What's… up…?" He asked in-between bites.

Aang stood and leant on his staff; his original Airbending garb long replaced by Traditional robes of the Air Temple monks. His head remained shaved, and his demeanor seemed to command respect, but his face still held the look of a boy who would rather be sliding on the back of penguin-otters.

"A gathering… at Omashu." He replies, mentally stoking the slowly dying fire. "All of the current leaders of the major cities will be there…"

"…And you want me to go?" He finished, picking his teeth.

"You are Chief…"

* * *

With the Chieftain's robes on his shoulders and carrying the ceremonial halberd, Sokka addressed the villagers in the morning as he prepared to depart for the summit with the Avatar.

"All right, everyone. Listen to Katara while I'm gone. It's technically still whaling season for another month or so, so be prepared. I wanna stuff myself when I come back. Okay?"

This was met with a chorus of agreements and well-wishes. A young boy even rushed over to stuff a couple of portions of seal jerky in Sokka's hand. Smiling gratefully, he ruffled the small boy's hair and turned to Katara.

"Stay safe, you two." She said, hugging them. He nodded and climbed up as a gust of wind propelled Aang gracefully on Appa's back.

"We'll be back soon." The Airbender called from the bison's reigns. "Yip, Yip!"

* * *

The bison roared thickly as it bounded into the air, quickly ascending until it left the villagers squinting at the clouds.

As they passed thought the wispy, low-lying clouds, Sokka stretched and yawned, feeling his erratic sleeping habits take effect.

"Why is it that every time we meet, I get drawn into another mess?" He lazily mused.

Laughing lightly, Aang traced the horizon with his gaze. "I guess you're just lucky."

"Lucky, huh… Are you going to take me all the way to Omashu?"

"Nope. Just to about halfway. There's a problem with the Swamp Water Tribe that requires my assistance. So I'll drop you off and meet you there." He explained.

Seeing his less-than-tickled expression, he chuckled.

"No big deal, It's not that far, and you have plenty of time…"

"My only issue…" He started. "…is: Why are we having this 'meeting' in the first place?"

"To instill and support feelings of goodwill and harmony between the four nations." He said, matter-of-factly.

Momo looked up from his curled-up position on Sokka's chest and chirped his agreement.

"Wonderful…" He murmured, being lulled to sleep by the quiet forms of the clouds drifting past.

Remembering something, Sokka suddenly sat up, sending Momo scurrying.

"Hey, can we make a pit stop first?"

* * *

Training went on as usual for General Suki, of Kyoshi Island. In the morning she had the all recruits and officers perform basic physical conditioning. For midday, the girls were divided into their respective squads to polish their practical skills, like riding, marksmanship, and academics. The evening always ended in combat training, sometimes progressing into friendly competition, which would encourage the recruits and entertain the villagers. These activities done for the day, the girls were given a couple of hours to themselves to wander the village, or anything else until curfew; when those fully decorated units would begin their sentry duty.

It was during that downtime, that her reading was interrupted by the alertness signal. Descending the stairs from her office, she was greeted by the trademark animal guide of the Avatar.

"Greetings, Avatar Aang." She addressed, bowing deeply.

"Good afternoon, General." He said; himself and Sokka returning the bow. "I hope you are doing well…"

"Join me in my chambers, won't you?" She offered, courteously.

* * *

As the door closed, everyone let out a collective sigh or relief.

"Wow. It's tough to be so polite, sometimes!" Aang declares, plopping unceremoniously in an armchair.

"Yeah." Suki agreed, visibly loosened up. "But it sets a good example for the girls…"

"I like what you've done to the place." The young Airbender complimented.

"Thanks. I think our popularity has soared, now that the navel blockade has been lifted…" She mused, scratching Momo behind the ears. "…were getting new recruits all the time."

"Well, let me level with you." He started. "There's a big gathering happening at Omashu, it's in about a week, and I need an escort for the Southern Water Chief."

"Wow! Royalty!" She cooed, uncharacteristically excited. "We usually handle various merchants, small trade caravans, and the like. I'll give you my best squad! Uhm…where?..."

She looked around at Aang, then Sokka.

"…Where _is_ the Southern Chief?" She asked quizzically.

"…Right here." Sokka replied, raising his hand submissively.

Momo's purring overtook the silence in the room. Suki rose slowly from her seat.

"Well…congratulations…. You take a couple of weeks off, and become a head of state…" She said, bowing slightly, and then giving him an incredulous grin.

"Well, these things happen sometimes…" He trailed off, amicably.

"You're going to be hard to replace around here…"She asserted austerely, facing away from the young men.

"So I guess I'll have to come with as a proper sent-off."

* * *

Skimming the surface of the water, Appa towed a boatful of young warriors as Suki joined Sokka and the Avatar on his back, the sun steadily rising in the manner of mid-morning. The girl-warriors were hard-pressed to hold in their excitement. Some were thrilled by the idea of such an intrepid assignment, while others were ecstatic at the amount of time they were spending with the legendary Avatar. Nonetheless, the warriors hastily disembarked when they where brought to shore on the main continent.

Noticing their enthusiasm, Suki quickly secured a number of ostrich-horses, as Appa languished in the attention he was getting from the girl-warriors; meanwhile Aang and Sokka conversed off to the side.

"So, I guess next time I see you, it'll be at Omashu, huh…" The young Chief stated, securing the saddlebags on his mount.

"Yep, I gotta go where I'm needed." He agreed, smirking at his flying companion, who was now on his back, enjoying a five-person belly scratch.

"Okay. Take care. Say hello to the Swamp Tribe for me." He said, brotherly clasping a hand on his shoulder.

Sounding his bison whistle, he bounded onto the massive creature's back, waving as he took off.

Suki and the warriors bowed respectfully as he, ascending into the sky, headed northwest.

Watching him depart, Sokka took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his ivory halberd. Mounting his ostrich-horse, he smiled as many of his former students gathered up in a defensive formation around him.

"Ready to go?…_Sir_?" Suki inquired form behind, barely concealing the laugh in her voice.

Sigh.

"Sure."

* * *

**AN:** Okay! I'm really happy with this chapter. I must say, a whale-hunt scene took a little thought. I mean, I've only read Moby Dick once, and I don't think I was even _awake_ for most of it. But I'm rambling. **For absolute certain**, my favorite Earthbender will _finally_ make her entrance. (I'm secretly worried about writing her dialogue!) And some other folks will appear as well. So sit tight. **Thanks to all who read and reviewed!** If anyone would like to beta for me, I'd be beyond honored for the opportunity! 


	3. Street Fighting Man

**A: TLA isn't mine. It belongs to Nickelodeon.**

**Chapter 3:** Street Fighting Man

The tropics at the equator were a far departure from the South Pole, as the swamp greeted the Avatar with a clingy humidness. Appa found a hole in the dense canopy, and plunged into an area of teeming grays and greens. Dismounting from the reigns, he landed with a splash as he eyed hems of his robes narrowly. The swamp seemed to practically quiver with life as Aang made sure he didn't soil his robes.

"You guys stay here. I'll whistle when I'm done."

Appa bellowed gutturally in response as he drifted into the upper regions of a mammoth ash tree, as Momo busied himself by grooming the coarse fur of the sleeping buffalo.

Satisfied, Aang took note his location and began head in the direction of the Swamp Tribe encampment.

* * *

"Okay. So what about the Fire Nation?"

Sokka looked thoughtful. "You know, I really have no idea…"

"The Avatar didn't go explain _any_ other details?" She asked with a skeptical air, then narrowing her gaze.

"…"

"…Or were you not paying attention?..."

With a slighted look, Sokka turned to Suki and sighed. A nearby warrior unsuccessfully stifled her giggling.

The sun hung high as the group made their way north on one of the Earth Kingdom trade routes that crisscrossed the continent. With favorable news from her scout, Suki relaxed the defensive status of her troops, allowing them to revel in the excitement of their first, real mission. As such, if a passerby were able to look past the weapons and war paint, they'd suppose it were a leisurely traveling party or school outing; both of which have become popular activities since the end of hostilities between the nations.

"You know, I'd _just_ got through this whole 'You're in charge, now.' idea…" He said, gesturing with his fingers. "…and on top of not knowing what to do, _now_ I have to go to Omashu and play diplomat?"

"I guess it's all kind of a quick for you, huh?" She supposed.

"Like you wouldn't believe… I suppose once this is all finished I can go back with a _little_ experience…"

"That's one thing you can never have enough of…" She replied, as the scout trotted back to the group.

"Ma'am. We've come upon the town of Gaoling. We're about an hour or so away at this point." She reported.

"Hmm…There's still a good amount of daylight left…" She thought out loud.

"…General…" Several of the warriors coaxed, their war paint clashing with their pleading expressions.

"Well we do have a week or so to get to Omashu…No sense in rushing around." Sokka casually pointed out.

"...Sometimes I feel like a tour guide…"

* * *

Crashing through the undergrowth, Aang strolled through the fetid water, occasionally stopping to watch cat-gators sun themselves, or examine the gigantic trees and marvel at the idea that this area could really be covered by a single plant. Despite how entertaining these diversions were, he began to feel the heavy hand of obligation on his shoulder as he made his way to the main waterways on the area, hoping to find them in their canoes. Reaching the start of the actual river, he nearly jumped when he heard the tell-tale sound of the Swamp Tribe's arrival; their sloshing sending startled birds from their perches. As the sound neared, the Avatar waded further into the river, looking expectantly. Jet sprays of water arced in the air, four boats roared to a stop around the Avatar, their speed and sudden stop dashing water and mist in all directions.

"Good to see you guys again!" He greeted, shielding his face from the spray.

Lowering his sleeve he gaped, stunned at the smoothly solid stone of the watercrafts. Abruptly feeling like his feet were wrenched from under him, he slumped inelegantly to his side, where he could do nothing but stare into impish slate-gray eyes.

"Likewise!"

* * *

Early afternoon Gaoling was lively, as a stable flow merchants going to and coming from Omashu choked the main street with wagons and carts. The air was thick with the jumbled clamor of vendors encouraging bystanders, people haggling, and children playing.

Confining the ostrich-horses to a stable, Suki took note as a young warrior rattled off the supply list, emphasizing what may need to be bought in anticipation for the rest of the journey.

Sokka stood to the side, his robes discarded with the heat of the afternoon.

"Hey, I'm going to look around…" He said tapping Suki's shoulder.

"Well now, we simply can't have our client out on the town without an escort…" she asserted, gesturing towards a pair of smirking warriors.

Giving her a pained look, Sokka cast a sideways look at his former charges, as Suki feigned interest in adjusting her saddle.

"Sure… why not?" He relented, taking his leave with his entourage.

* * *

The young Southern Chief sauntered down a side street of town, blending in moderately with the dwindling market crowd. Enjoying this temporary reprieve from responsibility, he ambled about the wares of the craftsmen; all the while never overlooking the two teenaged warriors doggedly shadowing his steps. Examining some pottery, Sokka tried to distance himself from the whispered conversation of his student-turned-bodyguards.

"…Does the Commander seem…? I mean…oh…I don't know…" One struggled.

"…off?" The other supplied in a hushed tone.

"Well…yeah… like his mind is always on something…" She sighed as she went on, as Sokka felt the pair of eyes bore into the back of his head.

"…or _someone_…" Her comrade playfully jabbed.

"Sh-shut up!" She stammered, covering her fellow escort's mouth, mortified.

"Huan! Calm down! I'm joking!" She laughed knowingly.

Sighing, Sokka tore his eyes away from the stoneware and faced his young protectors, earning a startled yelp from his students. Noticing their unease, he grinned cheekily.

"Hey, I know I'm not your instructor anymore…" He started, keeping his voice low and looking over his shoulders. "…but I need a little space, you know?"

They slowly nodded, exchanging curious glances.

"Take some time to look around…I won't tell the General if you won't. Alright?" He said, clasping their shoulders.

"…"

He grinned inwardly, noting the instantly rigid posture of one of his security detail.

"…I guess it's alright, Sir…as long as you're careful…" The more comfortable of the two stated.

As they watched him walk away, drawing the hood up on his traveler's cloak, Huan regained her composure.

"Lian, don't do that again…"

"Just be glad we wear this paint while on duty… he couldn't see you get so red…" She joked; avoiding her fellow warrior's distressed attempts to silence her.

* * *

The sun cast long shadows of the thin air vents across Aang's face, making him wish for a straw hat. The Avatar sat, sprawled and unmoving in a corner. The roar of the water and the sparse instances where he could see the trees outside his metal cage informed him that he was traveling at a high rate of speed. Not that the rocking of the boat he was in could indicate such, as he was all but entirely numb from his ensnarement.

Wishing he could reach his whistle, Aang quietly waited; doll-like in the corner.

"So what you been up to?" A bubbly voice lightly inquired on the other side of the vents.

"Well, you know…just hanging around." He joked, hoping to lighten the mood with humor.

The metal cage echoed with the laugh Aang shared with his captor.

* * *

Finally finding himself alone, Sokka found a seedy tavern to pause and do some serious thinking.

Unfortunately, this steadily progressed into serious drinking.

Glass after glass of wine disappeared, as Sokka drowned his demons. Unlike most times, this time the Water Chief had a drinking buddy, a nearby hooded patron who listened mutely to his slurred concerns.

"…and now they wanna send me to 'Mashu to rub elbows with the big city mucky-mucks, you know…" He blathered, eying the bottom of his wine jug.

"… I mean it's not like Sozin's comet is gonna turn right around and freak everybody out again…am I right?" He drawled, putting his head on the counter. "You…you know…I can really ...relate to you my friend…I feel like… I've known you for--"

"So! You think you can go around disrespectin' _us_ like that!? Huh?!"

His drunken declaration of undying friendship was cut short when a group of rough-looking brigands bellowed with fighting words, starting up a brawl. The fight was getting out of hand, as instigators and innocent patrons alike were caught up in the fighting. A quickly as it seemed to start, the sounds of splintering furniture and shattering wine cups were overpowered by the painful moans and groans of fallen thugs.

"Hey… You've won… leave those guys alone, huh?" He asked, noticing the aftermath of the melee through his wine-induced fuzz.

"Look at 'em… they can't even defen' 'emselves…right?" He reasoned, looking back at his silent friend for help. In response, Sokka's socially-abstaining acquaintance stood up from their stool.

"Yeah! You'll show 'em!" Sokka rooted from the bar.

* * *

The diminishing daylight had Suki a little worried. She didn't specify when Sokka should return.

"Hey, did you hear, there's an Earthbending fight at Cheng's pub?" A young boy excitedly asked his companion, as they jogged in the direction of the altercation.

Sighing, Suki mounted saddled her ostrich-horse to investigate; though she had a pretty good idea already.

* * *

"_So_, Huan…" Lian said teasingly, enjoying the nervousness her teammate got when the topic of conversation turned to this.

"What to do like better…?" She posed in a low tone while Huan shyly ate her noodles.

"…his dreamy, blue eyes...?" The grip on her chopsticks tightened.

"…his suave, easy-going attitude…?" She swallowed nervously.

"… or is it his well-toned, muscular- -" The thin sticks of wood snapped.

"LIAN!" Huan loudly interrupted, drawing stares from their fellow diners at the outdoor noodle stand where they sat.

"…I was going to say 'sense of humor', but it looks like _someone_ jumped to conclusions…" She said, grinning foxily.

Averting her eyes, timid young warrior picked at her food.

Slurping her noodles with gusto, Lian slammed her hand on the table, not concerned with who was watching.

"C'mon. Spill it already. Half the academy knows already… It seems like the only person you haven't convinced…is yourself." She said, poking her with a chopstick.

"Look, I just don't think that–" Her retort was cut short as the commotion of a fight filled the area of an alley not far away.

"…What was that…?"

"…Commander… We should find him" Huan said, abandoning her dinner. Lian followed, grumbling something about wasted noodles.

* * *

As the fight moved from the tavern to a moderately sized alley, Sokka's silent drinking partner stopped and assumed a firm Earthbending stance.

"Heeeyyy…..Can you Earthbend, buddy?" Sokka called from the mouth of the alleyway, gripping the wall for support.

Splitting the ground, the hooded bar-patron sent several cannonball-sized rocks at the cloaked figure, which ducked and sidestepped each one. Seeing this, the cloaked Earthbender rose in the air on an out cropping of earth, ripping up the alley by having the ground pitch and move, as though it were a wild animal trying to shake off a would-be rider.

"Check out my friend! Look at him go!" Sokka drunkenly crowed.

As the pitching and tremors grew, the hooded opponent seemed to be losing the fight as he stumbled uneasily on foot, then the other. Just when it seemed like the bout all but was over, the hooded fighter used the sharp up kick of the ground to vault towards the cloaked Earthbender. A vicious crossing punch ended the head-on charge and brought Sokka's alcoholic contemporary to the ground for good.

"Wha…uh-uh….you're…you're not done yet … I'll avenge my buddy….you'll see…once he stops movin' the ground….uhh…"

Passing out just as they arrived, Lian and Huan ran over, unsheathing their weapons in preparation to defend the young Water Chief.

After a tense moment of silence and glares, the young warriors bent over the fallen Earthbeader and pulled back the hood to reveal an unconscious middle-aged man with mop of stringy-black hair.

"What's going on here?" Suki questioned sternly, parting the growing group of onlookers.

Seeing her fallen client, she cast demanding looks in the Huan and Lian's direction, finally noticing the young woman standing to the side, smirking at the spectacle of the panicked younger warriors and their hiccupping client.

"…Xin Fu… the fool keeps seeking payback…but he never learns…as for Snuzzles, he should be a little choosy about who he drinks with…"The mysterious miscreant sated; as she pulled back her hood revealing an amused young woman, with pale green eyes.

"Wait a minute…_Toph_?" Suki asked, disbelievingly.

* * *

**AN:** Okay, I promised Toph. You got just a little bit. There definitely will be more of my favorite bender. Originally this chapter was going to be longer, but I felt the need to split it up. Bottom line: Next chapter will be up much faster! In the meantime, satisfy your Tokka fix on _**The Escapades of the Blind Bandit and Meathead by** **Artemis Rae**_. Yes this is a plug, but it is great if you love Tokka. (As I'm sure you do…right? Yeah.) Big thanks to all my reviewers and COLOSSAL thanks to my beta **RLnaurhina! ** You guys are really sharp! I hope to fill in those plot holes for you soon. Later. 


	4. Back up Against the Wall

Avatar doesn't belong to me. Don't sue me. But hey, I guess I own my two OC's, huh?

Chapter 4: Back Up Against the Wall

* * *

The steam rose in small puffs as the tea sat on the fire. Suki sat at the center table, politely taking the cup Toph placed in her hand. Plopping down on a cushion, she sighed, lolling her head back and staring sightlessly through the ceiling. Sipping her tea, Suki examined the lounging Earthbender intriguingly. She really hadn't changed in these eight years. Physically, she was now a young woman, a far cry from the deceptively harmless-looking girl she shared the front lines with during the closing days of the war.

Unceremoniously letting her black hair down, Toph flung her headband inattentively across the room, while letting loose an impressive burp.

Suki passively took another sip of her tea. At least her manners had improved since the old days.

"So my Madame General… what can I do for you?" She asked, sitting up and resting her elbows on her knees.

"I just wanted to properly thank you for your assistance tonight, Toph." She replied, graciously. "I mean, rescuing Sokka is one thing, but letting me and my regiment stay in your home…"

"Nah... I didn't rescue him… I beat some goons in Pi Sho and they lost their cool, then _that_ punk showed up again…" She nonchalantly explained. "…and this place is way too big as far as I'm concerned. I'll enjoy the noise…"

"Yes well, as soon as we're ready, we'll take our leave." She said, bowing slightly.

"Hey now…" She grinned, standing up. "Let's not be so formal about things …How about you and I have a drink, huh?"

"No thanks, I think we've _all_ had a little too much."

* * *

Sokka was bewildered. 

_How could someone have such a well-kept lawn? It's like a living rug… I could sit here for hours and --_

His musings were fiercely interrupted, as a fresh wave of nausea seized his insides; moaning, he stumbled to the nearest wall of the Bei Fong garden, then fell to his knees. A few yards away, Lian and Huan stiffly stood at attention.

"Was this really worth it?" Lian said, trying not to move. "I mean getting chewed out by the General, having to stand at attention until dawn, and _wasting perfectly good noodles_? Where will it end?" She questioned.

Obviously not listening, Huan continued to cast concerned glance in the direction of their heaving dignitary.

"Why am I even asking you?" She huffed.

* * *

Turning over, Sokka pulled the blanket over his head as the morning sun assaulted his eyes. Burying his head under the covers, he found a comfortable position and tried to return to sleep. This nap was short-lived; as an ever-increasing pounding assailed his head. Hissing, the Southern Chief sat up abruptly, eyes screwed shut in pain. 

"Drink this."

Peeking with one open eye, Sokka took the cup of water and eagerly drank. Holding the cup, he fell back on to the pillow with a groan.

"What happened last night?" He asked huskily, shielding his eyes with his arm.

"You hit the wine jug…and it kinda hit you back…" Came the amused explanation.

Recognizing the voice, Sokka took a quick look from under his arm.

"Toph… what are you doing here?"

"Apparently, nursing a rowdy drunk…"

He felt the slight pressure of someone kneeling on the edge of his futon, as the cup was taken from his hand. Finally getting accustomed to the mid-morning light, he looked up at her, her expression one of light-green neutrality. He studied her face a little.

Her once childish looks gave way to lithe features of a young lady. Clad in a loose-fitting nightshirt and pants, she put her waist-length hair up into a bun.

"You've… grown …" He stated, re-covering his eyes.

"Well, _one_ of us had to." She said, smiling with the smallest hint of condescension.

"I heard you were living in Ba Sing Se…"

"Yeah… My family moved in after the war. I couldn't stand it there. Being a renowned soldier didn't help any either. So I moved here, into my parent's old place." She recalled; the white porcelain of the cup flashing as she fiddled with it absentmindedly.

"Heh. That sounds like something you'd do…" He laughed, sitting up. "How've you been?"

"Well, after the whole 'comet thing,' I went back to the city. The army offered me a job training their Earthbenders, but I turned them down."

The partially open shutters bathed the room in sunlight. Sokka stood up and wobbled over to his belongings, digging through his rucksacks for a clean outfit.

"Hey, yeah. Aren't you like a lieutenant or something?"

"Colonel…" She corrected.

"It's purely a ceremonial title, and I've no desire to take on any more students…" She said, walking over and picking up Sokka's ivory halberd. Testing its weight, she spun it on her fingers expertly before leaning against the wall where she found it.

"Besides, Suki tells me that you got a bit of a promotion yourself, Chief."

"Yeah… I don't know. I never knew I had it in me." He supplied lamely, tugging his shirt off. He started to undo his pants until the young Earthbender cleared her throat.

"Huh?...Oh. Sorry."

"Once you're ready, the girls were dead set on making breakfast…" She said over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

* * *

Toph found dining hall agreeably abuzz, as it was of adequate size to serve a small crowd, but never had until this morning. Sitting at the empty seat at the head of the table, she was offered much more than she cared to eat by the appreciative young warriors, thankful they weren't making camp in the wilderness. Suki sat nearby, chatting with her subordinates. Suddenly struck with realization, Suki whispered something in a nearby cadet's ear. Nodding and excusing herself, the younger warrior left for the garden. 

"So, of all people, why did you hire Sokka to teach at the academy?" Toph asked.

"Well, on top of being an excellent strategist, he's got a lot of battle experience, and he's not a bad instructor when he puts him mind to it." She said, resting her chopsticks on her bowl in a well-mannered way.

"Yeah… He's been the idea guy for as long as I've known him…" The Earthbender trailed off.

"Hmm… I'll let you in on something you don't know." She said leaning in. Toph tilted her head curiously.

"…He's also the _only_ man who undertook our training…"

"Wait." She said, stunned. "You telling me Mr. Super-Manly-Man-I'm-only-ever-eating-meat-and-I-thoroughly-enjoy-explosions-Sokka trained with the Warriors of Kyoshi?"

The older girl nodded.

"Face paint, fans, and _everything_?"

"He looked adorable." Suki giggled.

* * *

Huan and Lian trudged slowly to the washroom. 

"I'm …so tired…" Lian declared, the rings about her eyes agreeing with her statement.

"Ah…It's not like this was unexpected…" Huan noted, stifling her yawns.

"Well, at least the General is allowing us to wash up. I couldn't stand being in this dirty uniform another minute. I'm sure I reek of ostrich-horse, huh?… Haun?" She called, discovering that she'd been, once again, talking to herself.

"Where'd you go?" She asked, looking around. At that moment, Sokka strolled past them, heading towards the dinning hall.

"Hey, you guys! I'm sorry if I caused you trouble last night." He apologized.

"Oh, it's no big deal Sir. It's not like anyone died or anything!" Lian said, cheerfully.

"Well, I gotta see the General for my chewing out." He said waving as he left. Lian watched him go, and then scanned the hallway for Huan, eventually finding that she had obscured herself behind a large emerald curtain.

"You know, I can see your feet…" She remarked dryly.

"I can have him see me like this. I'm a mess!" Came the muffled explanation.

"That doesn't mean you couldn't at least say hello." She lectured, drawing the curtain back to reveal an anxious Huan, fiddling with her fingers.

"You're something else, you know that?" She said, pulling her in the direction of the baths.

* * *

Entering the dinning hall, Sokka found that he'd all but missed breakfast, as the young warriors were milling about, clearing the table and carrying stacks of dishes to be washed. Noting his arrival, the available warriors stopped and bowed slightly. 

"I'm still not used to that…" He remarked, sitting down at a remaining plate of food.

"That's just a formality…" Suki said icily. "What were you thinking!?"

Sokka's mouth was currently filled with food.

"That's exactly it!" She continued, undaunted. "You weren't thinking, were you?"

Sokka again tried to supply an answer, despite how much of his breakfast he was presently chewing.

"…and dismissing your protection, no less! Anything could have happened! Just don't try anything like that again, or I'll bury you myself." She finished, rising and leaving for the stables.

"Hmm…Way to go…" Toph said wryly, biting into an apple. Swallowing, the young Water Chief sighed.

"At least it's well deserved… I think."

"Alright. Suki tells me you're heading for Omashu. From here, just take the coastal road to the east and you make it in no time." She explained, finishing her meal. "I've got some things to take care of, so come find me when you're leaving."

"By the way…" She wondered in afterthought. "How's your sister?"

"Oh, she's alright. I left her in charge, so I suppose she's got her hands full at the moment, though." He said.

"Hmm… and how's Aang doing?"

* * *

The sun had long rose, leaving the Avatar in a truly irritating position. His slumped, immobile position left him with the sun glaring in his eyes through the vents in his metal prison. The sound of the air flowing past suggested that he was still in some kind of watercraft. Vainly trying to move out of the way, he relaxed when a figure peered in to his cell, eclipsing the bright sun. 

"Breakfast time! Open up and say 'Ahh'!" A voice ordered cheerily.

The Avatar complied and was rewarded with a trickle of cool water, poured carefully between the slits.

"Okay. How about some dumplings, hm?"

"You know…" He started. "It would be easier for you if I could feed myself you know…"

His captor giggled coquettishly.

"Oh, and let you cause trouble once you can bend? No thanks. Besides, this is fun, right?"

"Hmm… I guess so. Ahh…" He relented, preparing to catch the pieces of food tossed at his mouth. He then heard the low timbre of a baritone voice address his cheerful warden.

"Really?… Aw, okay….Hey, I'll see you tomorrow morning!" His captor called, departing.

"I'll be here!" Aang joked, savoring the scraps of food given. When he heard the voices fade away, he sighed and again took stock of his options. He'd been captured and paralyzed by his abductors. Appa and Momo were still in the swamp, for all he knew, and he had no idea where he's being taken, or who's even behind it. Closing his eyes, he meditated letting his concerns ebb and flow in his mind, until they diminished from panicky thoughts to the dull roars of minor interest.

"Bingo." He said more to himself, then anyone else.

* * *

"Sai Ling. Tei Seung. Have the ostrich-horses been fed and watered?" 

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Good. Have the company ready for departure. We leave in two hours, understood?"

"Ma'am."

Standing in the stable with her Ostrich-horse, Suki adjusted the saddle and loaded her belongings, the other Kyoshi warriors hurriedly milled around her, preparing to resume their mission.

"And where's our Tribal Leader now?" She called to her charges.

"I believe he's thanking our hostess, Ma'am." One reported.

* * *

Sokka found himself wandering around the large Bei Fong estate, looking for Toph. 

_She's not in her room, not in the garden… So where- -_

His thoughts were interrupted, as faint, dulcet sounds echoed from the far section of the manor.

His curiosity thoroughly kindled, he followed the tones, finding himself traveling deeper into the mansion than he knew existed. Arriving at a heavy wooden door, he swung it open, the sounds drifting upwards from the dark of the stairwell.

_Hmm…winding staircase…the main house has an underground portion… _He concluded, running his hands along the uniformly arranged stones that made up the walls. Striking a small torch, he headed down the stony steps.

_Umm… this seems to go on for quite a bit…_ He thought, the music swelling and echoing to a foreboding crescendo. The acoustics of the stone-lined flight of steps had the sounds practically swirling around his ears when he came to the bottom, leading to a doorsill in the cavern-like bowels of the Bei Fong house.

His light the only illumination, Sokka guardedly held the torch high through the threshold, revealing the startlingly polished faces of memorial plaques and stones reflecting his torch-light and further brightening the dimness.

Taken aback, the young Water Chief scanned the room. The memorials were placed in a semi-circle, as though they were an audience at an amphitheater. Now that he was closer, Sokka recognized the sounds as the koto. He recalled first hearing to them during a few tedious formal celebrations after the Fire Lord was defeated. Not finding the player, meandered through the memorials, the still reverberating music disorienting him. Finally zeroing in on the location of the musician, he stopped and watched.

Toph sat on a convenient rock formation, plucking the strings in a slow, purposeful way. The stringed instrument played a pleasant song; though this was offset by the atmospheric echoes of the stone chamber, and the restless, even agitated expression in her face. Sokka had to pull a double take when his light revealed her elegant white and tea green gown, and sophisticated pinned back hair. Luminescent in the flickering light, her appearance and the music gave the scene a moody and divergent feeling. Transfixed, the young Chief continued to listen, until the last throes of the song fell away to a reverberated quiet.

A soundless moment passed, until the young Earth Bender stood up and gestured towards the ground, gently returning her makeshift chair to match the rest of the stone floor.

"Toph, I… Umm…that was… very good." Sokka complimented, inwardly cursing his less than fluent word choice. His concern was doubled when she kept her back to him.

"A couple of years after the war…" She said, impassively. "My mother was with child…"

Sokka nodded, despite the uneasy direction the conversation has heading.

"…My father was ecstatic. He had been wishing for a son for years…but there was a… _complication_…" She explained, laboring on the word.

The air was thick with emotion, despite Toph's fairly reserved mannerisms. Sokka couldn't find his voice. The sharp snaps of spark rocks echoed and dominated the chamber, as she lit incense sticks with a small fire. Blowing out the remaining flames, Toph placed them in a small container in front of a memorial stone.

"She liked it when I would play. I really should have done it more..."

"…Toph…I'm-"

His words were cut short as a dull rumbling snatched the Earthbender's attention, causing her to race past Sokka, out of the cavern and up the stairs.

* * *

"Hey! What's happening?!" Sokka asked, reaching the stables; his eyes still adjusting to the midday sun. 

He was met by the sight of a fierce, yet silent Xin Fu fending off a half dozen Kyoshi warriors with rocks and rising landmasses.

Four warriors surrounded him, taking turns whenever an opening appeared in his rapid, stony defenses. Earthbending a barrier in front against several warriors, he began lobbing boulders over the top, sending all but one of the Kyoshi warriors scattering. Trapped between the falling rocks, and the dense barrier, Huan danced edgily from one foot to the other, in attemps to dodge the tumbling boulders.

"Huan…" Lian said breathlessly, as she surged forwards, narrowly avoiding the fast moving rocks. Slamming her back against the barrier she let out a gasp of shock and relief.

"Lian! What are we-"Silencing her with her gaze, she unsheathed her sword and drove it into the far edge of the earthen wall. Huan looked confused for a moment, but firmly composed herself.

Gesturing quietly, in her direction, then towards the embedded sword, Lian's eye's conveyed a plan of action. Nodding, Huan unveiled one of her war fans.

In one motion, Huan flashed the bright yellow fan to one side of the barrier, and shoved Lian towards the other end. Riding the added momentum, the young warrior grasped the handle of her blade, the force allowing her to swing around the corner.

Distracted by the flash of reflected light and movement to one side, the burly Earthbender was caught off-guard when Lian flew at him, feet first.

Striking his midsection with a meaty blow, Lain sprang to her feet escaping back into formation with the astonished Huan.

Winded but livid, Xin Fu kept to his feet, gasping and clutching his ribs.

"Sokka, stay out of sight until this is settled!" Suki ordered, sword drawn.

Flanked by two warriors, she charged, sending her troops scattering in a complicated maneuver. Taken aback by the sheer speed of their movement, Suki was able to take the larger Xin Fu's back. Bringing her sword down, she gasped when she found her blade buried to the hilt in a wall of earth.

Recovering, she crouched, brought two fingers to her lips, and whistled. Unscathed, Xin Fu peered down at her for a second, only to look back up at the bottom of a warrior's foot.

The hulking Earthbender's head whipped to one side, as he groaned in pain.

Seeing her subordinate's kick connect, Suki used the momentum of the staggering man, standing up under his knees as he stumbled back, to flip him end over end onto his stomach.

Yanking her sword out of the bended earth, she pressed it menacingly against the back of the larger man's neck.

The other warriors surrounded the prone Earthbender, blades drawn.

"You! Why did you come here? Especially after last night!?" Suki questioned.

"I'm afraid he can't answer you... along with being unconscious, I'm sure his jaw is broken…"

Toph's head snapped in the direction of the terse assessment. "Oh. I figured you wouldn't be far behind if this boar-q-pine came crawling out the woodworks, Yu."

The kicked up dust from Xin Fu's Earthbending rapidly dissipated around the austere form of Toph's former Earthbending teacher, Master Yu.

"It's good to see my former student doing so well…" He sneered, assuming an Earthbending stance.

Toph laughed derisively, and held one hand out at Yu. "Okay, for old time's sake I'll let you start…Master." She challenged, mockingly emphasizing his former title.

Incensed, yet composed, Yu stomped the ground heavily with his foot, then drew a crescent in the ground with the heel.

Toph smirked and remained motionless, further drawing his ire.

Suddenly snapping his foot in a forward kick, Yu sent a number of boulders in the blind Earthbender's direction. Catching each one with a fist, or an elbow, she reduced them to gravel and regained her stance, still grinning.

Now pushed beyond his principles of composure within combat, Yu issued a furious battle cry while attracting the smashed earth to his body, creating a suit of substantial earthen armor. Advancing towards Toph, he punched the ground every couple of steps, leaving deep cracks and impressions in the ground.

The Blind Bandit yawned, uninterested. "Hey… if you're not going to get serious, you should just give it up…" She casually jeered.

Roaring in fury, he started charged at her, striking with a ground-trembling blow.

Suki and the other warriors looked on with horrified gasps, as the dust began to settle.

Yu's now bulky rock-armored body was frozen in place, his fist buried in the ground where Toph stood. Smirking haughtily, he wrenched his fist out of the ground.

The color drained from his face when he noticed the young Earthbender kneeling just under his massive arm.

"Once again, Master… You've underestimated me…" She stated, with a feral grin.

Dropping in to a horse-stance, she brought back her fist, and slammed it loudly into his chest.

His armor exploded into a cloud of sand, as he rocketed backwards, arching over the wall, and out of the Bei Fong property.

The younger Kyoshi Warriors stood slack-jawed at this intense exhibition of Earthbending. Then, spontaneously, someone started to applaud. It grew until Toph was embarrassed by the reaction of the young warrior girls.

Choruses of "Amazing!, You're so strong!", and "How can you do that?" surrounded the Earthbending woman.

Suki let them revel in their success a little.

_They did perform commendably…_ She reasoned, watching the girl-warriors then turn their praise to Lian and Huan, the former glowing under the attention and the later, unaccustomed to it.

The small celebration was cut short, however, as Xin Fu staggered to his feet, roaring gutturally through his smashed jaw. The ground trembling, he eyed Toph and the warriors murderously. He took one, ground-cracking step, before again collapsing on his face; revealing Sokka holding his ivory halberd, club end first.

"Heh, heh…" He laughed, examining his traditional weapon appraisingly, until he felt the stares of the young women.

"What?"

* * *

Dusting off her formal dress, Toph and Sokka stood watching the Kyoshi warriors tend to any cuts or scrapes that occurred during the fight. 

"So… Is it like this all the time?" The sightless Earthbender asked, crossing her arms.

"Hmm…you know, not really… This is kind of rare for us." He determined, rubbing his chin. "People are usually glad to see the Warriors of Kyoshi, so there really isn't too much trouble…"

Sighing, Toph turned back towards the house. Sokka looked a little concerned.

"I guess I've got to come with you, if this kind of thing is a rare occurrence."

"Hmm…" He nodded. "Wait, What?!"

* * *

** AN:** I don't think I'll have the next chapter up by Thanksgiving, so I hope everyone has a great holiday. Also look forward to some other characters showing up. (My second favorite, to be specific…) Alright! On to the accolades! First, thanks must go to my awesome beta **RLnaruhina**. Next, I have to plug **Typewritterman**'s awesome stories! (By the way, that scene is just a little taste; I've got something _really_ good planned for later! Heh, heh…) Go check 'em out! And as always, thanks to **you** for reading! Remember, reviewing is not just good karma, it's a good idea! 


	5. Honestly

**Avatar does not belong to me. Besides… you wouldn't want me in charge…**

**Chapter 5: Honestly**

"…Spirits… this is _so_ awkward…"

"Come on now, it's not that bad... Though I guess it _is_ weird, this being your first time."

Sigh.

"…I'm never going to get used to this…"

Sigh.

"I really wonder why we didn't try this when we were kids."

"Are you kidding? Remember always having to scrape by until we reach the next town; now imagine that with more mouths to feed…"

"Hmm… I see your point."

"Toph, Sokka, how you guys making out over here?"

"Suki, good timing; you remember your first time, right? Toph needs a couple of pointers."

"No problem. You see, it's one of those things, that when done right feels great, but can still give you a lot trouble if you're careless…"

Scowling blankly, Toph sat stiffly in the saddle of an ostrich-horse, tentatively holding the reigns. Sokka held back his laughter at her expression, as Suki flitted about, adjusting her posture and the position of her feet in the stirrups.

"There, it'll feel weird at first, but soon it'll become habit." She said, smiling at her handiwork.

"That's great!" The blind Earthbender chirped brightly. "But I think this may be my last time on this thing." She stated, muttering darkly as she silently cursed her decision to join her former traveling companion.

"Well, you can't keep up if every else is riding." Sokka pointed out, his mount trotting back and forth idly.

After the impromptu Earthbender intrusion, the group set out, heading northeastwards to Omashu. When it was decided to pick up their pace, they ran into a snag in their travel plans.

"I don't know how I could ride this thing anyway, I can barely sense where you two are, let alone steer this guy … AH?! "Toph yelped, as her ostrich-horse trotted away from her snickering friends, deciding to enjoy the plants on a nearby branch.

"You think this is a laugh riot, huh?!" She barked hotly, struggling uselessly to get her mount to stop eating and face her companions.

"Okay, okay…" Sokka laughed, ignoring her murderous look. "I've got a hauling saddle, you can ride with me."

"Oh…Thanks…" She said, taken aback. "But…I…um…"

"Hmm?"

"How do you get off of this thing?" She asked, simply.

* * *

The midday sun ambled in through the openings in his confinement, as the Avatar meditated. It helped to take his mind off of his uncomfortable, slumped pose. All in all, his extended, undesired stay hadn't been terrible just …unexpected. Obviously if someone wanted to harm him, they had ample opportunities. Yet, here he was, no worse for the ware. 

Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened his eyes.

More wide than tall, his cage was large enough to sit comfortably, but too short to stand up straight. The gray walls were well tempered steel, their edges and corners precisely welded for strength.

_Hmm… you know, I spend way too much time in traps and the like…_He reflected, smirking.

Twitching his wrist, he felt atrophy wash over his nerves in shuddering waves from lack of use. Straining slightly, he turned his wrist, placing his hand face down on the steel floor.

Raising the temperature minutely, he let it slowly dissipate into the alloy. His eyes widened in shock, as the heat from his palm flared, spiking intensely and leaving a small indent of his hand in the rapidly weakling metal.

…_the paralysis is affecting my control… _He surmised with a dreary expression.

With great effort, he silently willed his flames into nothingness and managed to drape himself over his unintentional handiwork. He again shut his eyes, the dissipating heat of his bending serving as an unintended motivation.

Sighing, he pondered.

When he could expect his jovial warden to appear with some food?

* * *

Toph could feel the dense, yet subdued tremors of the Ostrich-horse's footfalls through the saddle she shared with Sokka. Not knowing or wanting to deal with the reigns, she opted to sit behind the young Water Tribesmen as the party trotted briskly through the forest. Her displeasure apparent in her tense demeanor, the sightless girl hands clenched the saddle horn, as she clung to the saddle. 

"I know this is how people get around without the convenience of flying bison…" She started, talking into Sokka's back.

"…But this stinks… really…" She finished, wrinkling her nose.

"It's not that bad, when you get used to it…" Sokka replied, his pleasant response brought about by the crispness of the mild, sunny afternoon.

"Though, I guess you're a little unnerved traveling like this… Hey wait a minute…" He contemplated for a moment. "…you never seemed to have a problem riding Appa for days at a time. And he was _nowhere_ near the ground…"

"Well, it's not that I can't see where we're going-"

"-because you can't?" Sokka completed good-humoredly.

"…Uh…yeah…" She said, a slight grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "But these guys make a bunch of vibrations every time they step. It's giving me weird, random ideas as to what's going on."

"Huh…" Sokka said taking note.

Despite the time he'd spent with her, he didn't really understand how Toph's "substitute sight" worked. He just knew that for the most part, she moved about like a regular person. He remembered, right after she joined them how he would watch her curiously as she effortlessly ambled around their makeshift campsites.

He also remembered getting a painful kick in the shin when he experimentally waved a hand across her unsighted eyes.

Noting her back stiffening as their trail started to slope downwards; he turned his head, catching her black hair in his peripheral vision.

"You okay?" Has asked, keeping on eye on the trail.

"I'm… fine." She assured, adhering rigidly to her seat, eyes betraying her unease every time the Ostrich-horse lurched to one side when finding less than solid footing.

Smiling despite himself, Sokka put two eyes back on their descending trail.

* * *

While she retained some of her mannerisms since their traveling days, be it from maturity or whatever, Sokka found that she seemed a bit easier to talk to now, than her bluntly forthright former self. 

…_Well…it's been about seven, eight years… Look at Aang… I guess you've seen him a little bit more than the Katara and the others, but you would barely recognize him if you met him as a kid…_He reasoned, recalling his friend's progression from a optimistic, yet overexcited young Airbender, to the stately and commanding Avatar.

…_That was to be expected, I guess…I mean, look at Avatar Roku…And I expected Katara to resemble a little of mom and dad…_ He thought, again glancing at his passenger as she caught her breath sharply when the Ostrich-horse again leant to one side, trying to ease down the hill.

_...But Toph…_

He recalled waking to her at his bedside after his "night on the town", and that encounter in the lower levels of the Bei Fong estate. Sure, they had donned some pretty strange disguises and costumes during the war. But they were generally out of necessity, and he never remembered the young Earthbender enjoying having to dress like…well, like a girl.

…_Lady…she's not a girl any more…_He corrected, amazed at the effect time can have on a person. He always thought of Toph as a sister of sorts, yet at the same time knew that their relationship was different than what he has with Katara. They fought with each other as much as they fought alongside side each other, though they never planned it that way. He knew that she couldn't see, and she knew that he couldn't bend. It just seemed to work out that way…

Lost in thought and the evoking of memory, he was brought back to reality by a waving hand breaking _his_ vision.

"You okay?" Toph asked quizzically.

"S-sure..." He stammered, snapping out of his reverie, the irony of her gesture not lost on him.

* * *

The atmosphere at the Drunken Tiger was tense, yet strangely casual; as it was every night. 

Sitting at a table in the far corner, Xin Fu sat and glared at his ale. Producing a bamboo straw, he tossed it into the frothy beverage and drank, his rage engraved in his face. A barmaid hurriedly brought him several tall mugs, glad to be able to distance herself from the silently fuming man.

Catching the bartender's worried look, she quickly crossed the bar, occupying her time with less menacing characters. While she was no stranger to trouble in the bar, she avoided it if she could.

All at once, the dull roar of the bar seemed to ebb, as man in an obscuring cloak entered and made his way across the bar to the smoldering Earthbender.

Taking a seat he ignored the exasperated fury reflected in Xin Fu's eyes.

"I see you didn't finish your business with the Bei Fong…" His drinking companion stated smoothly.

Incensed, Xin Fu produced a piece of parchment and a sliver of ink stone, grinding the stone onto the paper, he scrawled out his response.

"Be that as it may, it seems that the Bei Fong estate in Gaoling has some heavy security as of late… This interests me, as I know the Bei Fong family mostly resides in Ba Sing Se, since the end of the great conflicts…"

"…"

"…Simply put, I value few things more than intelligence…"

He reached into the depths of his robe, tossing a small, but heavy sack on to the table.

Xin Fu gave the bag a dubious stare before arching an eyebrow in perplexity.

Opening the pouch, Xin Fu lit up, and began furiously writing. Finishing, he slid the parchment over to the cloaked individual.

"…Hmm…I see…Well, I suggest you come with me…We can work on your penmanship at the very least…"

Sneering, the muscular Earthbender, nosily slurped the last of his ale, as he lumbered through the double doors with his companion.

* * *

The sky was a golden orange shade, as The Warriors of Kyoshi, Toph, and Sokka stopped to make camp near a small brook. The group milled around, making quick work of the required tasks around the campsite. With their various camp duties completed, Suki declared the rest of the night a prolonged standby period, and with no explicit orders save the rotating guard details on the perimeter of their encampment and Sokka, left her troops to their own devices. The majority of the traveling party was gathered around the fire, finishing their dinner as Toph regaled the young warriors with her experiences prize -fighting in the in the Earth Kingdom Underground. 

"Then, this idiot _dives_ into the ground, headfirst, and starts burrowing like a badger-mole…" She recounted vividly, reclining on a piece of bended earth. Wide-eyed, the warriors listened intently.

"What he doesn't know, is that I could compact the earth around him as he digs. So, I wait until he rears to strike and-" She paused and held up a loose chunk of earth, then clenched her hand into a fist, crushing the rock into gravel.

A chorus of oohs and ahhs echoed from the awed young warriors, as the young Earthbender smirked triumphantly. Watching from afar, Sokka and Suki chuckled as Toph relived her glory days.

"Can't tell who's having a more fun…" Sokka commented, picking his teeth.

"Yeah." Suki agreed. "Okay you guys, it's time for the second group's shift…" She called.

A portion of Toph's audience seemed a little disappointed as they gathered their supplies and departed to their sentry positions.

"So, I guess Miss Bei Fong can't ride by herself, being blind." Lian remarked offhandedly.

"Yeah…" Huan supposed. "You know, I really couldn't tell if she was blind."

"_Yeah_, she had this…this _air_ about her, you know?" Her fellow warrior stated, gesturing with her hands.

"She doesn't carry herself like you'd think…not at all…" Huan said, as two of their comrades approached.

"All right! Quitting time!" Lian cheered, stretching her hands above her head. "Let's hurry back and catch some of that grub, huh?"

"And a bath…" Huan said, waving to their replacements as the two started for the encampment.

"It's cold, but better than nothing…" Lian sighed. She then started to grin wickedly as she remembered something.

"Hey," She started absently, Huan feeling a familiar chill run up her spine at her friend's tone.

"Speaking of Miss Bei Fong… I bet if you ask nicely… She'd let _you_ ride with the Commander next time…"

"Sh-Shut up!" She exclaimed, chasing her back to camp.

* * *

Suki welcomed back the warriors from their patrol, noticing Huan's agitation and Lian's failing attempts to stop giggling. Arching an eyebrow, she chalked it up to youthful exuberance. Standing up and yawning, Sokka rummaged through his knapsack. 

"Okay, just want to take a quick bath before hitting the sack..." He announced, producing clean clothes.

"Heh…Do I need bodyguards for that too?" He joked.

The only sound was the crackling of the campfire.

Lian and Toph laughed quietly, while Huan stood petrified and Suki looked unconcerned. Other Kyoshi warriors watched from their tents.

"Why not?" The senior warrior reasoned, herself preparing to sleep. "Huan, see to it."

"Wha-what?! I mean…um… yeah, but… I don't…I can't…" At this point she glanced anxiously at Sokka, who looked puzzled.

"Th-that doesn't mean I don't…ah…I…err…" She continued, profusely tripping over her words.

"Don't worry Ma'am." Lian interrupted, her body quaking from wanting to laugh. "I'll handle it…" She trailed off, almost losing her composure.

Sensing Sokka and the now guffawing Kyoshi warrior head towards the stream, Toph smiled inwardly, when the mortified Huan shakily took a seat next to her.

"What's up?" She asked, her pale green eyes staring endlessly into the flames.

"N-nothing…" She sighed, now feeling a bit disparaged.

"Sounds like a whole lot of nothing to me…"

Huan sighed and hugged her knees, as Toph put two and two together.

"Well, no matter what the problem is, nothing works like watching, waiting, and going at it straight on. No matter what it might be…" She said astutely.

…_or who, in this case…_ She finished silently, smirking. …_Seems like Sokka has become a bit of a lady's man nowadays…not that he wasn't before…_

"Well, I'm bushed…" Toph declared, standing up and creating an earthen tent next to the others.

"G'Night." Huan waved and smiled gratefully, absorbing her words.

In her stony shelter, the young Earthbender stretched out, eyes staring upwards, but not closing. She realized she hadn't had a lot of time to sit and think lately.

…_You didn't need time to think before he showed up…_A voice admonished.

Turning to one side, she thought about the past eight years; the Battle of Sozen's Comet, Aang making her proud with his Earthbending and defeating Ozai, the tedious aftermath in Ba Sing Se, last seeing her friends at King Bumi's funeral, her mother's funeral…

Again turning over to will back the tears stinging her eyes, she banished those images from her mind, instead focusing on the last couple of days. While the relative quiet was nice, and never got tired of trouncing Yuu and Xin Fu, she found that she enjoyed Suki and her group more than she expected.

As for Sokka, she was undecided.

…_You can't deny you weren't shocked to sense him in the pub…a better question is why you didn't rush over or at least reveal yourself then…Funny…you give advice you won't follow yourself…_

She groaned, as her conscience talked her into submission. Sitting up, she dug around in her bag, retrieving a wineskin. Taking a long swig, she fell back and curled up.

… _I'm no better than you kid… _

Yards away, Sokka violently sneezed twice.

"Huh…" He sniffed, looking around as he toweled his hair. "Guess the water was colder than I thought…"

* * *

AN: Sorry for the wait on this one, guys. I've got one more chapter slated for this month. ( Maybe the 18th…?) I'm thrilled at your reviews and comments. Thanks for reading. Really. And tell me if my romance writing sucks. I know most you heard this already, but here goes: "How about that season finale, huh?" Oh boy… I thought Zutara fans were going to get something more than that one scene in "The Waterbending Scroll"… but don't despair! Things always seem to work themselves out in the end. I actually had something planed with a bit of a Zutara slant, but now I'm unsure about doing it at all. I don't know… Anyway, I'm still taking suggestions on what to name this Tokka C2 I'd like to start. If you've got any ideas I'd love to hear them, as I've got nothing so far. 


	6. What to do

**I don't own A:TLA. It's as simple as that…**

**Chapter 6: What to Do  
**

* * *

A small cloud of dust was kicked up from the hard-packed dirt of the road, as a wagon yoked with ostrich-horses progressed briskly along a popular thoroughfare to Omashu. Pedestrians ambled to the shoulder as it nosily traveled, leading pack mounts and children away with its creaking wheels. The forest was ablaze with leaves of deep red and gold, as the promise of autumn could be felt in the faint chill of the air. Due to its straightforward nature and occasional roadside services, this trade route stayed busy throughout most months, despite the chance of slick, and snowy winters. As the carriage rumbled forth, the helmsman brought the avian beasts of burden to a halt in front of a small restaurant.

Curious travelers and customers stopped, whispered, and watched as the carriage door opened, and a young man in stately Fire Nation garb disembarked. The helmsman brought the wagon team to an adjacent water trough, as two other men in similar Fire Nation attire went about inspecting the stagecoach and examining the surrounding area. The young man who initially exited the carriage strolled up to the counter, as a waitress emerged from the kitchen of the small café. Scrutinizing the modest establishment, the young Fire National drug his finger along a portion of the counter, examining the digit disdainfully.

"I've heard you make some pretty good tea…" He stated smoothly, wiping his hands on the leg of his pants.

"It's an old family recipe, sir…" The young woman replied evenly, yet preemptively exasperated from his high and mighty behavior.

"I… see…" He said, looking around at the small group of patrons. "You seem very busy for a little tea stand…"

"It keeps food on our plates." She answered, eying him with an edge of impertinence.

"Well… I suppose I'll take a pot… for the road." He stated in a low tone, placing a silver piece on the counter, and taking another long look around.

She gave him a strange stare, as she checked he coin with her teeth. He smirked.

"It's for the kettle."

* * *

Watching the wagon depart, she cleaned her hands on her apron and examined the money the Fire Nation man left. She flipped the coin once, inwardly marveling at the heft of the silver coin. Smiling despite herself, she put it in a sack beneath the counter, next to an old man sipping tea.

"That was a close one…"

She arched her eyebrow warily as he flashed a cheeky grin.

Silence befell the two, as the young lady wondered why she was at such ease, when a stranger, despite being a customer, asked to be hidden after ordering some tea. To be realistic, he could have taken the day's earnings or done any number of things from his concealed position.

"I don't know what's up with you…though you don't seem like a criminal…" She thought out loud, and casually leaning against the wall of the café and watching commuters pass by.

"That's good, because I'm not."

"So, what's with all the hiding then?" She asked, waving to a couple of regulars as they took their leave.

"Sometimes, one must hide from others, to find oneself…" He declared, taking another sip of tea.

"Hmm." She murmured, unconvinced.

"Besides, you've talked with him. He's a bit of a pain…" He said, standing up and handing her his cup with a bow.

* * *

As the sun began to set, Ambassador Iroh of the Fire Nation continued down the road, keenly enjoying his anonymity. Largely unchanged since his brother's defeat eight summers ago, he nevertheless sported a couple of new wrinkles, though he seemed to have picked up his pace in life, instead of slowing down. Clad in simple traveler's robes and a cloak, he mingled unobtrusively with the other merchants and people on the highway. The dwindling daylight brought the temperature down a little, causing some groups and parties to begin setting up camp along the side of the road, leaving the highway for those riding or in a hurry to progress through the night.

…_there's no rush, I should enjoy the time I have until they catch up to me…_ He reasoned, laying out his sleeping fur.

Gathering an armful of twigs and leaves, he placed them in a ring of rocks, rolled up his sleeve, and put his hand in the pile. Making a fist, he ignited the pile of tinder. With a merry campfire going, he wondered how his workaholic nephew was faring in his duties as Fire Lord. While more than honored to attend on his behalf, he thought back to his nephew's stubborn insistence on an escort for his excursion to the Summit of the Four Nations in Omashu, and his less-then-agreeable time spent with the uptight youngsters.

…_So young to be so serious…_ He analyzed with a sigh.

Satisfied with the tea and fried pork dish from his concealed location at the teahouse, he decided to forgo a campfire meal, as he watched the sun give way to warbling lights of various campfires in the increasing night.

Feeling the tug of fatigue, he reduced the fire to a pile of embers with a subtle motion, before retiring to his sleeping fur.

…_I hope Zuko finds some time to enjoy his youth while he's out and about…_

* * *

It was silent save the snap of a twig and the rustle of leaves, as the forest sped past in a pale, moon-lit haze. Traveling nimbly along the tops of the trees, it seemed as if the woods themselves were submitting to the will of an agile individual, as they deftly leapt from branch to branch. When it would seem that there were no available limbs or outcropping of canopy, the figure would gracefully bound to the forest floor. Pausing fleetingly, they then start off again at a brisk pace along the dense undergrowth, hopping over shrubs and upturned roots with confident vaults and somersaults.

When it would seem that overhead conditions improved for continued treetop travel, the acrobatic entity would sprint to the thicket tallest tree, the momentum from their increase in speed allowing for several steps of near-vertical running. As gravity acted upon the climber, they would kick off sharply from the trunk. Twisting in a nearly unperceivable manner had the woodland acrobat ended with two feet on an adjacent tree-trunk. Repeating the motions, the figure ricocheted between the trees, ultimately emerging at the crest of one of the towering oaks.

The fluidity of the maneuvers were suddenly brought to a standstill, as the view from the upper branches of this tree encompassed the better part of the area, showing the path of the river and gentle slope of the valley, visible with the radiance of the low hanging, stark-white moon. The expanse of trees sprawled in all directions, a light wind causing them to sway, like an ocean of dark green.

Absorbing the still and quiet sight for a moment, the agile individual looked around quickly, as they secured their footing. Feeling the slight breeze and straightening their posture, they brazenly leapt from the upper regions of the lofty oak tree.

Plummeting from an unhealthy height, the tumbler seized a young branch at the last minute, using the energy from the drop, body position, and the elasticity of the young tree limb to launch further along amidst the treetops.

Regaining the initial, uninterrupted pace, Ty Lee quickly found herself out of the woods and back to the encampment from where she embarked on her jaunt through the thickly forested area. Slowing her pace to a skipping and childlike gait, she hopped playfully towards the campfire, where a small grouping of men sat eating silently.

"I see you guys are back to moping around, huh?" She stated lightly, putting her hands on her hips, like a mother scolding a group of children.

"There's a lot to be done! If you've got the energy to be down in the dumps, you can do more to keep things moving…" She admonished brightly over her shoulder as she made her way to a conspicuous mass of metal sitting in a corner of the campsite.

Her lecture was met with uneasy silence and weary gazes.

The Avatar sat in his metallic confinement in the cool of the evening. He let his mind drift to progress of Sokka and the Kyoshi warriors.

…_Hmm… if they've been captured like me, they shouldn't be hard to find…_ He reasoned.

…_And if so…they're probably unhurt, as they could have easily taken care of me at any moment…besides; Suki and Sokka are smarter than to bite off more than they could chew… _

He felt his stomach tighten it the notion of biting and chewing anything, as it had been a better part of a day since he'd been fed. The smell of noodles and dumplings had been wafting in through the openings of his enclosure, tormenting him since dusk.

…_Well… maybe now I… can try it again… _He thought as readied himself for another fire bending attempt.

"Hey! You awake in there?!"

At the moment he was going to open his eyes, Ty Lee popped her head into the view of the vents.

"Hmm?... Hello again…" Aang answered stiffly, pretending to have been woken up by the cheerful greeting. A concerned look darkened the Fire Nation girl's features.

"You look kind of …hungry… have you eaten?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.

The Avatar didn't answer, but gave her a detached and worn-out look.

Whirling to face the men now milling about encampment, Ty Lee's ash grey eyes narrowed dangerously. Aang, now extremely interested, tried to watch as the young acrobat stomped her way across the camp.

"Okay. Whose job was it to feed the Avatar while I was away?" She inquired, as all traces of mirth vanished from her tone and expression.

The men stammered and looked around, searching for an excuse to give the cross young woman as she tapped her foot in annoyance.

Aang chuckled silently.

…_She kind of reminds me of Katara… when she's on a warpath…I guess girls are --_

His feelings of nostalgia were instantly and brutally interrupted, as Ty Lee suddenly slammed her fist into the midsection of the nearest person, delivering a heavy, sickening blow to the abdomen. The much larger man, falling to his knees and slumping limply to ground, gasped raggedly for breath.

A stunned silence overtook the encampment, save the crackling of the campfire and shallow, uneven gasps of the wounded man.

"Well, at least now _you_ won't forget…" She scolded lightheartedly, her words dripping with sweetness as she gathered some of the rations for the prisoner.

* * *

The morning was buzzing with activity, as the Kyoshi Warriors went about folding up their tents, preparing food, and inspecting equipment.

Collapsing her tent, Huan hummed brightly to herself. She enjoyed the portion of the morning after breakfast but before any official orders were issued, as it was a little free time while she was still brisk and energetic from a good night's rest. Her belongings were already packed and ready to move, as she hoped to squeeze in a quick bath before the company departed.

"Good Morning Ma'am." She addressed with a bow, as Suki returned from the river, accompanied by another warrior.

"Did you sleep well?" Suki asked, returning the bow.

She nodded, as Suki smiled and took a seat around the cooling coals of the campfire for breakfast.

It had been three days since they'd left from Gaoling, joined by the renowned Earthbending Master Toph Bei Fong, and the group began settling into a comfortable rhythm. Traveling through places she'd only read about, spending time with her sister warriors, and being near her old commander again… she was actually having a great time. She was even starting to enjoy the bracing cold river baths and late night patrols; though the latter regularly dissolved into giggling girl-talk sessions, brought about by their own aggressively shameless gossip-master.

"Speaking of which…" She said out loud, fastening the last tie on her pack.

Making her way across the clearing, she spotted Sokka examining a cache of weapons with another warrior. She caught his gaze and he waved good-naturedly. Fighting every impulse to dive for cover into the nearest tent, she shyly waved back.

Slightly flushed, she knelt at the mouth of Lian's tent. Huan noticed that hers and Ms. Bei Fong's were the only still standing. Sighing, she poked her head in the door flap, accustomed to the endeavor of waking up her comrade.

"Lian…" She called, knowing she wasn't awake to answer. She was greeted with the image of messy mound of clothes and what she hoped was a sleeping fur slightly rising and falling with an occasional bout of snoring.

"Lian… come on… every morning it's the same thing…"

Deciding to address this directly, she buried two hands in the slumbering pile, hoping to find Lian's head, in order to startle her awake. Digging around, her face grew hot when she heard less than appropriate noises from the depths of the pile.

"…Oooh…Yong Pei…come now…I'm not that kind of girl, you know…"

"Huh? What are you…?" Huan wondered, completely mortified and resorting to simply shaking whatever she'd gotten hold of.

"H-hey now…not so rough…I'm a warrior…I could really- -"Lian's sleepy, one-sided tryst ended when she peeked a bedraggled eye out from and opening in the heap.

"Oh…hey…" She yawned.

"Come on. Time to get moving..." Huan said, hastily removing her hands and giving her a disturbed, yet curious look.

"Uh…Lian…?"

"Hmm…?"

"Who's Yong Pei?" She could barely keep the laughter out of her voice.

"Oh…" She chuckled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "He's- - Wait a minute, what?!"

* * *

Hearing commotion from within a nearby tent, Sokka was reminded to see if Toph was up as well. Putting aside his sharpening stone and the sword he was working on, he walked tentatively to his comrade's earthen tent and knocked lightly on the stony doorway.

"Hey, you up?"

He was answered by the rumble of shifting earth as the shelter slowly sunk into the ground. Sitting up gingerly, she rose and put a hand to her temple, hissing lightly.

"I'm up _now_…" Came the drowsy response, as the Earthbender yawned and smacked her lips. Her hair was almost humorously disheveled, spiking this way and that, as she stretched and yawned.

"There's some breakfast over by the campfire…" He said, turning around and heading back to his task.

…_I guess some things never change…_He thought and smiled inwardly as she dug around in her ear with her pinky finger.

"Mmm… rice dumplings…" Toph sighed, as she heard the tell-tale sizzling and inhaled the aroma drifting about.

She rummaged through her pack, retrieving a change of clothes. Strolling across the camp, she took a seat next to Suki, who offered her a dumpling.

"So…what's…on tap for today?" She inquired between bites.

"Well, we've already traveled the lion's share of the way to Omashu…"She paused and took a sip of tea. "There is, however, the mountainous portion remaining."

"I see." Toph noted, washing down the dumplings with some soy milk. Wiping her mouth on her forearm, she stood up, with clothes under one arm and, headed for the river.

"Mind if I join you?" Lian asked, drafting her tea.

The Earthbender shrugged and continued towards the river, as Lian dug around for a fresh uniform in her belongings.

Sokka sat down at Suki's side, watching as the young warrior scurried to catch up with the unsighted young woman. Bringing another sword from the supply, he began to sharpen as Suki unrolled a length of parchment; except for the scratching of an ink-stone pen and the occasional shrill scrape of the sharpening stone, a bit of silence hung between them, as other warriors causally prepared to resume their expedition.

"So, how long do you think it'll take for us to reach Omashu?" Sokka said offhandedly, breaking the silence.

Suki didn't look up from her document.

"Hmm…well some of the troops have some training in this terrain as we have. We also have Toph with us. She can only be an asset when we have to cross the more risky areas." She assessed.

The young Water Chief nodded in agreement as he closely inspected the blade. Satisfied, he replaced it in the sheath.

"There; Finished. Hey, Tsumiko…" He called, tossing the sword to a grateful warrior.

"You don't have to do so much, you know…" Suki said, still engrossed in her manuscript.

"You're not their instructor, technically. She pointed out, already guessing at his response.

"Ahh… You know… Things eventually become habits after a while." He drawled, as Tsumiko bowed in return. He peeked over at Suki's open scroll. "What you got there?"

His question caught her bit off-guard.

"Hmm…this? It's a report on the warrior's progress. Usually I send the brass status reports every couple of months. Seeing as I'm already heading to Omashu, I suppose I can just deliver it in person."

"Looks like being a General isn't all pomp and pageantry…" He commented, now reclining against his elbows.

"Well, I have to follow some regulations and such…" She wrinkled her nose a bit and scratched something out on her paper. "…but it's a fair trade for a good amount of jurisdiction around the island."

"Hmm…Okay, I'm going to start saddling up… you guys ready?"

Suki looked around at her company's various stages of progress.

"We can be moving within the hour…" She said, rolling up her parchment.

* * *

Lian cursed under breath as she searched among her personal affects in her rucksack.

"Grrr… Where?...no… Did I leave it back in Gaoling after the…hmm…"

"What's missing?" Toph asked, sitting cross-legged in a towel, the bottoms of her feet barely breaking the surface of the water.

"A vial of this great shampoo from Ba Sing Se. My dad sent away for some as an anniversary gift for my mom. She gave me a bit for my trip and…Aha!" She exclaimed, hoisting the glass bottle in the air in triumph. The Blind Bandit grinned at this.

"I thought you Kyoshi Warriors were all about your jobs and face-paint and the like…"

"Hey… Just because I'm a Kyoshi Warrior, it doesn't mean I can't look good doing it… Besides I've graduated the academy, but I haven't been commissioned as an officer yet; so technically I'm not a true warrior yet." She explained, pouring a bit of the shampoo in her palm.

Toph could smell the scent of berries and lilacs as Lian worked the soap into her shoulder-length, chestnut hair.

"Oh…I'm sorry you want to try a bit?" She offered, tossing her the vial.

"Your hair is already pretty shiny, so I guess you could make it smell nice…"

Catching her off guard, the bottle sailed right through Toph's searching hands, landing with a plunk into the water.

"Ohhh…I'm such an idiot…" She stammered, as the awkwardness of the situation quickly dawned on her.

"It's okay…" The Earthbender said with a lopsided grin. "I've got it…"

Drawing her arms outward and to the side, the general area where they bathed slightly rose in elevation revealing the vial on the once river level patch of earth. Retrieving it, Toph motioned again, lowering the ground to its previous level and allowing the water wash over the muddy soil.

"I've seen your Earthbending before, but still…" She trailed off in amazement as Toph let down her hair and began massaging in the fragrant shampoo.

The two lathered, rinsed, and repeated in quiet, until Lian couldn't hold back the questions.

"So…" She started, toweling off her hair. "How do you meet the Commander- - err, Sokka?"

"Heh…" She laughed while pinning back her hair.

"I actually found him sneaking around my house one day. He was friends with this guy who beat me in an Earthbending fight…Later, it turned out that this guy was the Avatar, and I had to teach him Earthbending before a comet- -well, I 'm sure you know the rest…" She finished, tugging her familiar, forest green shirt over her head.

"Uh huh… What was he like back then?" Lian asked, tying the knot in her robe.

"Let's see…He liked to hunt and tell jokes, though some of them were really bad." She recalled, smiling reflectively. "He always had a trick or two up his sleeve and could always find trouble, if nothing else."

The younger warrior's reflection grinned foxily as she applied her war-paint in the mirror of the water's surface.

"I bet he was a bit of a lady's man back then, too."

An eyebrow arched over a pale, green eye.

"Actually...I'd say he was more or less clueless when it came to girls…"

* * *

The sky was dotted with clouds as a young man walked down a large hallway, the taps of his shoes echoing and filling the otherwise deserted corridor. He stopped at a set of ornate emerald doors. Creaking open the door, he glanced inside, seeing a stack of scrolls obscuring a person seated at a large desk.

Entering, he shut the door and cleared his throat.

"Hmm?... Haru… How are our guests?" A baritone voice inquired.

"They're resting after their voyage..." The young man reported.

"Good… Have the cook start on dinner. Remember to alert the watchmen for our remaining guests."

Haru nodded and took off for the kitchens, leaving Tyro with his scrolls and tomes.

…_Ba Sing Se during the closing days of the war... _

…_While the dethronement of the Earth King by Princess Azula of the Fire Nation and coup instigated by the Dai Li was eventually suppressed, dissidence spread amongst the citizens of the lower ring in the largely chaotic days surrounding the "Day of Black Sun" offensive… _

…_Seeking compromise between the citizens that lived in the Upper and Middle rings, and the vast majority that dwelling in the Lower Ring and within the Outer Wall, the Earth King sought the guidance of Avatar Aang… _

…_Three weeks of negotiations ended in a grand restructuring of Ba Sing Se's governing process, cumulating in the willing abdication of certain powers by the Earth King, and a formation of a city-wide Governance forum… It was decided that Forum members from predetermined districts would be selected by the Avatar and the citizens of said districts…_

Sighing, Tyro stroked his beard as he rolled the scroll up and placed it in a stack of previously reviewed materials.

"To think such reform has already come to pass… and yet…" He eyed a small pile of reports and accounts from his contacts in Ba Sing Se warily.

"This conference couldn't have come at a more critical time…"

* * *

A chilling breeze swept across the trees, as Sokka and his entourage progressed through the quickly thinning forest to the mountainous area surrounding Omashu. The convoy moved briskly, as the quickly dropping temperature held the promise of an unpleasantly nippy trek. Noting the change, Sokka opted to don his penguin-hide hunting jacket. Suki and several Kyoshi warriors brought out light cloaks.

The young water chief could make out the timberline through the trees, as they traveled. A flash of black and green in his peripheral vision reminded him of their newest traveling companion.

"Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet back there…" He asked.

"Huh? Oh…I'm just thinking…" Toph responded, snapping out of her reverie.

As the breeze changed direction, he grew concerned for his hereunto silent comrade, and her penchant for short-sleeved outfits.

"Aren't you cold?"

She shifted in her place on the saddle when she sensed his gaze scrutinize her from over his shoulder.

"N-no, I'm fine…" She lied. He cast the Young Earthbender a skeptical look as he rummaged around in his saddlebag.

"Well, _I'll_ feel better if you put this on…" He insisted,carelessly tossing the thin parka over his head to drape over Toph's head, muffling her protests.

Muttering, she straightened the jacket on her properly, scowling at their difference in size as she popped her head through the collar.

"Thanks!" She chirped brightly, giving the young Southern Tribesman a stout punch to the shoulder in gratitude.

"Anytime…" He hissed, messaging his shoulder blade.

The wind changed direction again, blowing against Sokka and Toph's back as the remaining warriors added more accommodating attire.

"Huh…" Sokka exclaimed, looking around.

"What's up?" The blind young woman asked.

"What's that?…" He said sniffing the air curiously. "...flowers?...Ow!"

She sank her fist into the other shoulder, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"It's lilacs and berries…Don't you know anything?"

* * *

**AN:** Chapter six! Initially this chapter was going to be huge; about two to three times as long as it is now. Getting down to it though, I felt that the flow was hindered when it was all one chapter. Anyway, during the completion of this chapter, a lot of new Tokka stories have been uploaded. I for one, am thrilled. However, I have to give special consideration to Daughter of Atlas. Her stories are simply amazing. So if you're reading this, you must go and check out her stuff. Well, the next chapter is going to be much more action-packed, so stay tuned and happy holidays! 


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